The fresh produce importer has teamed up with the Chelford Group, which is working closely with Primafruit to provide its IT solution.

Foy says he recognised that the IT system in place was not adequate to meet future requirements as far back as February 2001. Since then the company has embarked on a long journey to find a system, and an organisation to work with that best matches its needs. Foy explains: “We realised that our existing system wouldn’t be able to cope with changing industry demands. Microsoft office and Freshware were being used across the business, different sectors of the business were using different spreadsheets, and all were providing different answers. We were finding that several discrepancies were emerging across the different departments.”

Foy joined Primafruit from a big manufacturing business where he noted that the sectors of the business were joined up through IT. He says: “I had seen it working and what it could do, but had not seen how to implement the process. The company soon realised that enormous internal resources would be needed and to meet the IT answers and smooth operation we would have to go through a lot of pain.”

With this in mind Primafruit developed a project entitled - 12 areas of pain. Foy says: “We set down and worked out the parts of the business that were causing the most grief. We then began to look at the systems available offered by software businesses, which covered all 12 areas of pain.”

Primafruit found around nine businesses that it felt could provide an IT answer. Foy did not speak to SAP directly as it felt the company was too big. He says: “We were keen to apply the SAP technology to our business, so we began to consider how we could apply this technology as we didn’t have a massive in-house resource. We needed to find a partner we could work with, understand our needs and meet our IT requirements.”

Primafruit found that the Chelford Group was able to provide an answer with its SAP solution. Sixty per cent of the Chelford Group’s business is food and drink and the company was looking to make inroads into the produce industry.

Chief executive officer Trevor C Lewis, explains: “Having worked with various different types of industries we understand the demands of retailers. Equally important as the product itself, is the ability to build life-cycle partnerships. The produce industry is dynamic and fast moving and we are working hard to get our business to understand its needs so the two can work together.

Foy agrees that the importance of forming a good working relationship is paramount. He says: “It’s probably more important to build a good supplier relationship, than the actual product itself in some ways.”

The Chelford staff who are helping to implement the system are interested in how Primafruit operates. They are attending our produce meetings, they are on-site and working with our staff rather than working remotely. This helps us to develop the implementation of the SAP programme.”

The programme is now three months into implementation, which in total will take around a year to complete. Foy says: “A lot of preparation goes into this. The first part is to establish exactly what it is we want this to do for the business. Software doesn’t run the business, but it helps how the business operates.

“We didn’t fully realise the intricacies of the business until we began to analyse each area. Primafruit sells around 40 million packs of fruit a year, it also hits 99.95 per cent of delivery time, which is astonishing when you consider the logistics of the produce industry. It’s so important to be able to manage the supply chain in a slick fashion, so we can get the best product to the consumer, our new system will form an important part of this.”

Produce is at the sharp end of the supply chain, says Lewis and this highlights the importance of integrated systems. “Retail businesses are increasingly demanding, if any business looks at the demands of the retail model and adjusts accordingly they will be able to meet the demands of the business,” he says.

The early stages of implementation are improving the operations of the business. “Already we have changed certain processes that exist within the company. We have changed the way in which our warehouse operates. Also, our staff our designing the system with Chelford’s consultants,” says Foy.

The transferring of knowledge between the two sets of people helps the implementation. Lewis says: “This aids the process of resolving issues and chemistry also develops between the teams.”

In order to grow the Primafruit business it is necessary to free up team members to take part in the programme. “Once the system is implemented it will free up members of the team from administration tasks and allow them to focus on their talents to drive the business forward,” says Foy.

Lewis feels that this approach will benefit the company in the long run. He says: “This may take longer but this is not just about a software system, it’s a change management project.”

SISTERS DEVOTED TO SHARING

Jackie and Elaine Avis are sisters. They also job-share as office accounts manager for Spitalfields-based Hutchinson’s. David Leck finds out how the latest Windows-based technology has helped this new professional pairing.

Job-shares are a tricky thing - ask anyone who has ever tried to juggle an unconventional method of communication with copious handover notes, forgotten but essential scraps of information and a colleague you see in passing each Wednesday lunchtime.

Sisters Jackie and Elaine job-share the role of office accounts manager for New Spitalfields-based wholesaler Hutchinson. It is a relatively new partnership and it has also come at a time when the company has ditched its old UNIX computer system in favour of the market leading Windows alternative.

Following a year of development and just three months after its launch, the new version of Freshware is challenging old working practices and helping to set improved standards in business efficiency.

Offering a fully integrated consignment trading and accounting package - and utilising the latest technology such as hand-held units and touch screens - the system looks set to fundamentally alter the marketplace.

From the Affinitus stable of software packages, Freshware comprises a number of modules designed specifically for the fresh food and produce industry. It has quickly established a niche market serving importers, wholesalers, growers, multiple suppliers and the transport and distribution sectors.

For Jackie Avis the benefits are obvious: "The previous UNIX system was complicated and unwieldy. The biggest advantage of Freshware is that it is totally user friendly and from a personal point of view that ease of use helps to make things like a job-share more smooth running.

"The new system has cut down the workload and is extremely time efficient. The booking in of produce is much easier and less cumbersome and the turnaround time in getting prices across to clients is vastly improved. At the end of the day, Freshware has given us access to significant benefits both internally and in terms of customer service. It is also an intuitive system and very easy to learn."

Technology always comes with its own set of problems, so hasn't a major change like this brought its own pressures? Jackie Avis responds: "Of course there have been some teething problems. But these have been minor and no more than you would expect following a major IT switchover. Affinitus has been quick and efficient in responding to our needs."

Hutchinson is one of the first wholesalers to take advantage of the new system and the decision to change was not taken lightly as managing director Chris Hutchinson explains: "We had been on the previous UNIX system for seven years and as we all know any IT change can be disruptive to the business. We weren't happy with the service we were getting from our previous supplier but the decision to change was much more fundamental to the future growth of the business.

"The Freshware demonstration made obvious very quickly the system's many additional benefits. Apart from a simplified working model and advantages in terms of time and efficiency, what most impressed us was the way it has been devised to adapt to a market place in which the need for readily available and accurate data is paramount.

"The result is less duplication, no long waits at the end of the day or week to complete routine procedures and improved standards of information for our suppliers."

Hutchinson can also vouch for the standard of Affinitus customer care: "We went live just before Christmas and the support during that period was exceptional. During the all-important first week of operation we had someone available to us everyday."

These are exciting times for wholesalers as new technology improves quality and enables businesses to plan more efficiently. Not resting on its laurels, Affinitus is continuing to develop software and ancillary IT services.

Paul Hardy, Affinitus managing director, says: "Freshware has built its reputation on an ability to adapt to specific business requirements and the continual development of software will be an integral part of this. We have a number of new developments planned in the coming months and will continue to implement the latest technology in line with both the needs of our customers and wider-ranging market trends."

RIGHT FIRST TIME

In previous articles, I focused on the software and partner selection process. The purpose of this publication is to highlight the importance of infrastructure as part of the total solution. However good your decision-making process on business management software, installing it on an inappropriate platform will inevitability detract from the usability of the system.

If the response time of the new system is slow or it falls over frequently, it will be very difficult to convince the users that it is there to make their life easier. On the other hand, if it is difficult and expensive to support, your total cost of ownership will increase. The impact on your bottom line is unlikely to impress your finance people and can detract from your competitiveness in a market where margins are already under pressure.

Let's start by defining what we mean by infrastructure. Frequently referred to as Information and Communications Technology (ICT), it broadly consists of the file servers, PC's or workstations, printers, operating systems, back up devices, switches, routers, cabling, firewalls, virus protection and telecommunications equipment. These are used to implement Local Area Networks (LAN), Wide Area Networks (WAN), and Virtual Private Networks (VPN). Most businesses have a LAN installed to service the file and print needs of the company. Many also make use of a WAN to facilitate remote links with their customers, suppliers and mobile workers. Access is usually via ISDN or dedicated lines to off site locations.

However, with the maturing of the Internet, the big growth area is in the VPN arena. Rather than using slow ISDN dial up lines or expensive leased lines, a VPN harnesses the power and connectivity of the Internet to provide low cost secure access to your system. Your remote users merely dial their nearest Internet access point from anywhere and the world's largest network provides the data transport. A well designed and implemented VPN can provide you with a cost effective, efficient means of sharing data with business partners and employees.

Another trend worth noting is the move from "thick" client to "thin" client technology. A "thick" client is not a pejorative term. It refers to the practise of using PCs as a storage medium for data and using the server to access and share some application information. The issues raised with such a model relate to the difficulty of managing a growing volume of data scattered around multiple PCs various locations. This item comes to the attention of management when a PC crashes or is stolen and vital customer data lost, or a key employee is on holiday and their data is inaccessible.

The thin client model refers to the use of powerful servers to host "virtual PC" sessions within this server. These sessions are communicated to the end user on a local device, but only screen image, keystrokes and mouse movement are transmitted over the network link. Data processing is carried out centrally. This means that bandwidth per user can be minimised, data never leaves the secure server environment and users can make use of less powerful older machines as they are only used as display devices.

One of the key business benefits of this approach is reduced cost of ownership. Applications are only installed once at the terminal server rather than at every PC. User PCs can be "locked down" and the complete solution is easier and less costly to support. When a problem occurs, the IT person can dial in and take control of the user session and help to quickly resolve the reported problem. In addition, setting up new system users is simple and quick. Workstations can be stacked and simply delivered for self installation. And, in these dangerous times where system hacking and virus proliferation is rife, it is easier to protect business knowledge.

In the past, where a variety of disparate systems were in place, the practice of installing separate servers for additional applications was the norm. This led to the growth of the islands of data syndrome with its hidden costs and lack of information visibility. However, the infrastructure demands were less onerous as if a server failed, the impact was restricted to the affected applications. In the modern world of seamlessly integrated business applications, it is vital that all parts of the platform operate efficiently with the core applications. A poorly designed infrastructure can seriously undermine even the most sophisticated business system.

Next month, I will be turning my attention to the implementation process and how to avoid potential pitfalls. For further information email me on bobr@angliabc.co.uk.